U.S. patent number 5,442,512 [Application Number 08/292,933] was granted by the patent office on 1995-08-15 for modular portable computer work station selectively powered by either an internal battery, an internal battery charger, or an external dc input.
This patent grant is currently assigned to The I.D.E.A. Corporation. Invention is credited to George M. Bradbury.
United States Patent |
5,442,512 |
Bradbury |
* August 15, 1995 |
Modular portable computer work station selectively powered by
either an internal battery, an internal battery charger, or an
external DC input
Abstract
A versatile, compact portable work station includes a computer,
a printer, and other peripherals, including but not limited to a
digital camera, an optical scanner, a cellular telephone, a modem,
and the like, that are efficiently interconnected with one another
and stored within a carrying case. A computer tray supports the
computer in spaced alignment above the printer. The computer tray
is adapted to be advanced relative to the printer to permit easy
access to both the printer and computer. The computer, printer and
other peripherals are powered either from a lead-acid battery or a
battery charger that are stored within the carrying case or from an
external DC input. Also included in the case is a main control
panel having a plurality of switches that are selectively operated
to respectively connect the battery, the battery charger, or the DC
input to one or more of the computer and peripherals, such that the
work station is controlled completely from the carrying case.
Inventors: |
Bradbury; George M. (Bonsall,
CA) |
Assignee: |
The I.D.E.A. Corporation (Las
Cruces, NM)
|
[*] Notice: |
The portion of the term of this patent
subsequent to May 18, 2010 has been disclaimed. |
Family
ID: |
25235032 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/292,933 |
Filed: |
August 18, 1994 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
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36451 |
Mar 24, 1993 |
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822065 |
Jan 17, 1992 |
5212628 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
361/679.55;
307/66 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F
1/1628 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06F
1/16 (20060101); G06F 001/16 (); H05K 005/02 ();
H02J 007/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;364/708.1,705.01,705.05
;190/102,109 ;400/691 ;340/407.1,407.2 ;307/29,66
;361/679-686,724-730,752-759,825,829 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Other References
"Radio Shack Catalog No. 441", 1982, cover and p. 42..
|
Primary Examiner: Phillips; Michael W.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hawes & Fischer
Parent Case Text
This application is a continuation, of application Ser. No.
08/036,451, filed Mar. 24, 1993, now abandoned, which is a
continuation of application Ser. No. 07/822,065 filed Jan. 17,
1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,628.
Claims
Having thus set forth the preferred embodiment, what is claimed
is:
1. A portable computer work station including a carrying case and a
computer and at least one computer peripheral transported within
said carrying case, said carrying case having a body in which said
computer and computer peripheral are located and a cover movable to
opened and closed positions relative to said body, said work
station comprising:
internal voltage supply means including a battery that is located
within the body of said carrying case to supply power to said
computer and said computer peripheral;
electrical interface means to be connected to an external voltage
supply that is located outside said carrying case, said electrical
interface means to also supply power to said computer and said
computer peripheral; and
a main control panel located within said body and having a
plurality of switches, a first and a second of said plurality of
switches being closed to connect said battery to said computer,
said first and a third of said plurality of switches being closed
to connect said battery and said electrical interface means to said
computer peripheral, and said first and said second and said third
of said plurality of switches being closed to connect said internal
voltage supply and said electrical interface means to said computer
and to said computer peripheral so that said computer and said
computer peripheral are powered by one of said internal voltage
supply or said electrical interface means, said electrical
interface means connected to said computer to supply power to said
computer when none of said first, second or third switches is
closed and said cover is moved to the closed position relative to
the body of said carrying case.
2. The portable computer work station recited in claim 1, further
comprising:
a computer tray located within the body of said carrying case for
receiving the computer thereon;
a tray located within said body for receiving the computer
peripheral thereon; and
positioning means by which said computer tray is moved relative to
said computer peripheral tray to permit easy access to the computer
and the computer peripheral when the cover of the carrying case is
in the opened position.
3. The portable computer work station recited in claim 2, wherein
said positioning means includes an arm that is pivotally connected
to each of said computer tray and said peripheral tray such that
said computer tray is adapted to move laterally and generally
parallel relative to said peripheral tray and rotate relative to
said peripheral tray to form an angle therewith.
4. The portable computer work station recited in claim 3, wherein
said computer tray and said peripheral printer tray are located one
above the other at one side of the body of said carrying case, said
work station further comprising a compartment located at the
opposite side of said body within which to removably receive
another computer peripheral.
5. The portable computer work station recited in claim 4, wherein
said other computer peripheral is a cellular telephone, said
cellular telephone positioned below said battery at the side of
said body opposite the location of said computer and peripheral
trays.
6. The portable computer work station recited in claim 1, further
comprising a shroud enclosure having a top wall extending across
said carrying case, said main control panel attached to the top
wall of and outside said shroud enclosure, and said computer
peripheral located inside said shroud enclosure.
7. The portable computer work station recited in claim 6, further
comprising a circuit board at which the plurality of switches of
said main control panel are electrically connected to said battery,
said electrical interface means, said computer and said computer
peripheral, said circuit board located inside said shroud
enclosure.
8. The portable computer work station recited in claim 6, further
comprising bracket means extending between said battery and the
carrying case for retaining said battery within the body of said
case.
9. The portable computer work station recited in claim 1, wherein
said electrical interface means includes a battery charger located
within the body of said carrying case to be interconnected with an
external AC voltage supply located outside said carrying case.
10. The portable computer work station recited in claim 1, wherein
said electrical interface means is a DC input terminal located on
said carrying case to be interconnected with an external DC voltage
supply located outside said carrying case.
11. The portable work station recited in claim 1, wherein said
computer peripheral is a radio frequency transceiver.
12. The portable work station recited in claim 11, said work
station further comprising an antenna interconnected with said
radio frequency transceiver, said antenna attached to and carried
inside the cover of said carrying case.
13. The portable work station recited in claim 11, wherein said
radio frequency transceiver is a cellular telephone.
14. The portable work station recited in claim 1, wherein said
computer peripheral is a printer.
15. The portable work station recited in claim 1, wherein said
computer peripheral is an optical scanner.
16. The portable work station recited in claim 1, wherein said
computer peripheral is a modem.
17. A portable computer work station including a carrying case, a
computer and a computer peripheral transported within said carrying
case, said carrying case having a body in which said computer and
said computer peripheral are located and a cover movable to opened
and closed positions relative to said body, said work station
comprising:
a battery located within the body of said carrying case and adapted
to supply DC power to said computer and to said computer
peripheral;
a battery charger located within said carrying case to be connected
to an external AC voltage source located outside said carrying
case, said battery charger adapted to charge said battery and
supply DC power to said computer and to said computer
peripheral;
a DC input terminal located on said carrying case to be connected
to an external DC voltage source located outside said carrying
case, said DC input terminal also adapted to supply DC power to
said computer and to said computer peripheral;
at least a first switch connected between said computer and each of
said battery, said battery charger and said DC input terminal, said
at least first switch being closed to connect said battery and said
battery charger and said DC input terminal to said computer to
supply power to said computer; and
a second switch connected between said first switch and said
computer peripheral, said second switch being closed at the same
time that said first switch is closed to connect said battery and
said battery charger and said DC input terminal to said computer
peripheral to supply power to said peripheral,
said battery charger and said DC input terminal connected to said
computer to supply Dower to said computer when neither said first
nor said second switch is closed and said cover is moved to the
closed position relative to the body of said carrying case.
18. The portable work station recited in claim 17, further
comprising a radio frequency transceiver located within the body of
said carrying case to be powered from either of said battery
charger, said battery or said DC input terminal, a modem located
within the body of said carrying case and connected to said
computer, and data interface means located within the body of said
carrying case and interconnected between said modem and said radio
frequency transceiver to enable the transmission of computer data
and facsimile messages via said transceiver.
19. The portable work station recited in claim 18, wherein said
radio frequency transceiver is a cellular phone.
20. The portable work station recited in claim 17, further
comprising a modem and a third switch connected between said modem
and said computer, each of said first and said third switches being
closed at the same time to permit said computer and said modem to
be powered simultaneously.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a modular portable work station
comprising a computer and a plurality of computer peripherals that
are interconnected with one another and efficiently packaged for
storage within and control from a carrying case.
2. Background Art
Portable offices have been commercially available for several
years. More particularly., it is known to package a personal
computer and various computer peripherals within a carrying case to
facilitate the transport and storage of a compact work station.
However, the versatility of the portable office within such
carrying case has been undesirably limited. That is to say, and
because of the space constraints that are characteristic of the
carrying case, the user is often required to remove either the
computer or the printer from the case before access can be gained
to each. In other cases, a computer printer and other standard
peripherals can not be easily packaged within and controlled from
the same carrying case, making it necessary for the operator to
have access to an external printer and/or the other computer
peripherals. The foregoing shortcoming detracts from the advantage
of a portable office, particularly when the work space is very
small, such as that which would be available on a plane or a
train.
The versatility of some conventional portable offices is also
limited because of the lack of a fully integrated and
self-contained operation. That is, the computer and all of the
peripherals are not always controllable from the carrying case.
More particularly, external sources of power, telephone
receptacles, and the like, are sometimes necessary before the
office can be made fully operational. Moreover, some portable
offices do not permit a user to selectively operate the computer
and particular ones of the peripherals from a readily accessible
and easy to operate master control panel.
It would therefore be ,desirable to have available a compact,
portable office or work station including a personal computer,
printer and other conventional peripherals that are efficiently
packaged and transported within a carrying case. It would also be
desirable that the computer and peripherals be controlled from the
carrying case and selectively energized, one or more at a time, at
a readily accessible master control panel. It is still further
desirable for the computer and printer to be used without having to
remove either from the carrying case.
One example of a portable computer and printer that are operated
within a carrying case is available by referring to U.S. Pat. No.
4,837,590 issued Jun. 6, 1989.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In general terms, a compact portable work station is disclosed
comprising a personal computer, a printer and other conventional
peripherals that are all interconnected with one another and
efficiently packaged within and operational from an impact
resistant carrying case. Besides the printer, the computer may be
interfaced with one or more of an optical scanner, a cellular
telephone, a digital camera and a modem to permit facsimile and
data transmission. A shroud extends across the front of the
carrying case and a lead acid battery is located at one side of the
shroud and mechanically connected thereto. The battery is seated
upon the cellular telephone, and a data interface (to permit
facsimile and data transmission via the cellular telephone) is
seated upon the battery to create a vertical stack of peripherals
within the shroud. Located at the opposite side of the shroud is
the modem. Seated upon the modem is the main circuit board. The
circuit board is electrically interconnected with a main control
panel at the top of the shroud. The main control panel includes a
plurality of readily available switches that are manually operated
to selectively energize the computer and one or more of the
peripherals.
Located at the rear and to one side of the carrying case is a
compartment within which to receive the digital camera. A pair of
retaining straps surround the camera to hold it in place. Located
at the rear and to the opposite side of the carrying case are the
computer and printer supported in vertical alignment with one
another. A printer tray is attached to the bottom of the carrying
case, and the printer is carrying thereon. Spaced above the printer
tray is a computer tray on which the computer is carried. The
printer tray and computer tray are interconnected with one another
by a pair of arms. Opposite ends of the arms are pivotally
connected to respective brackets at each of the printer and
computer trays. Thus, the computer tray can be moved forwardly of
the printer tray to permit easy access to both the computer and
printer without having to remove either from the case.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the modular portable work station
of the present invention with the carrying case opened and the
computer and printer removed therefrom;
FIG. 2 is a top view of the carrying case of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a side view of the carrying case partially broken
away;
FIG. 4 is an opposite side view of the carrying case partially
broken away;
FIG. 5 shows the carrying case opened with the computer tray
advanced forwardly of the printer tray;
FIG. 6 is a side view of the carrying case of FIG. 5 partially
broken away showing the positions of the computer and printer
relative to one another;
FIG. 7 is a side view to illustrate the positions of the computer
tray and printer tray when the carrying case is closed;
FIG. 8 is a top view of the computer and printer trays of FIG. 7;
and
FIG. 9 is a block diagram to illustrate the power distribution
between a power source and the computer and peripherals which form
the work station of this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The modular portable work station which forms the present invention
is now described while referring initially to FIG. 1 of the
drawings, where a carrying case 1 is illustrated for conveniently
transporting and storing the work station. The carrying case 1 is
manufactured from an impact resistant material (e.g. ABS plastic),
and includes a cover 2 that is hingedly connected to a body 4 and
adapted to rotate between opened and closed positions relative to
said body. Located inside the cover 2 is a plurality of pockets and
flaps 5-11 in which to conveniently store and carry a variety of
common business and stationery articles. A handle 1 is coupled to
the body 4 of carrying case 1 to permit the case 1 to be
transported when cover 2 is closed upon body 4.
A shroud or enclosure 14 extends across the front of the body 4 of
carrying case 1. As will be explained hereinafter, the shroud 14
surrounds a battery and a plurality of computer peripheral devices,
one or more of which may be used during operation of the work
station. Located on top of and at one side of shroud 14 is a
battery charger 16 which may be removed from body 4. The battery
charger 16 includes a receptacle 18 which is adapted to receive a
power cord extending from an available 110 volt AC source of power.
Located at the top of and at the opposite side of shroud 14 so as
to be readily accessible to the user of the work station is a main
control panel 20. The main control panel 20 includes a plurality of
function switches (designated generally by the reference numeral
22) and a light emitting diode 24 to indicate that power is being
supplied from a source thereof to the electrical components of the
work station. The purpose and operation of function control
switches 22 will be described in greater detail when referring to
FIG. 9.
A pair of ribbon cables 25 and 26 are located within the body 4 of
carrying case 1 to connect a compact portable computer (designated
100 in FIGS. 3 and 4) to a plurality of computer peripherals that
are located within case 1. That is, first ends of ribbon cables 25
and 26 terminate at conventional electrical connectors 27 and 28
which are to be detachably connected to the computer 100. The
opposite ends of cables 25 and 26 are connected to commercially
available peripheral devices that are adapted to interface with
computer 100. By way of example, the peripheral devices to be
carried within the body 4 of case 1 include a digital camera 30, a
cellular telephone having an associated hand set 32 and an optical
scanner 34. However, the work station is not limited to peripheral
devices 30,32 and 34, such that these and/or other conventional
peripherals may be carried in case 1 and interfaced with computer
100.
To this end, a pair of retaining straps 35 and 36 extend from the
bottom of body 4 to surround and retain the digital camera 30. The
straps 35 and 36 may contain complementary hook and loop material
(not shown) by which said straps can be fastened to one another to
hold camera 30 in place within the carrying case 1. In addition,
padded (e.g. foam) side cushions 37 and 38 are secured to the
bottom of body 4 between which the digital camera 30 is received
and protected against shock.
What is more, an antenna 40 is conveniently retained at the
underside of the cover 2 of case 1 and interconnected with the
cellular telephone (designated 54 in FIG. 2) to enable suitable
telephone and modem (e.g. facsimile) communications. An auxiliary
telephone input receptacle 42 is located in the side of body 4.
Receptacle 42 is adapted to receive an external telephone jack when
it is not necessary or desirable to use the cellular telephone of
carrying case 1 for modem or voice transmission.
As an important advantage of the present invention, computer and
printer trays 44 and 46 (best illustrated in FIGS. 5-8) are
positioned in spaced parallel alignment with one another at the
rear of the body 4 of carrying case 1. As is also shown in FIGS. 3
and 4, the computer tray 44 supports the computer 100 and the
printer tray 46 supports a printer 200. However, and as will soon
be disclosed, the computer tray 44 is interconnected with and
movable relative to the printer tray-46 to facilitate easy access
to and use of the computer 100 on tray 44 and the printer 200 on
tray 46.
FIG. 2 of the drawings shows the body 4 of carrying case 1 with the
digital camera 30 secured in the stowed position by retaining
straps 35 and 236. Camera 30 is connected by an associated
connector 48 to the computer via circuitry contained on a main
circuit board 50. The main circuit board 50 is located below the
shroud 14 at the front of body 4 and contains the switching and
power distribution electronics for controlling the operation of the
portable work station in response to the activation of function
switches 22 on main control panel 20 (of FIG. 1). The handset 32
and optical scanner 34 (of FIG. 1) may be stowed within the pockets
5-11 of cover 2 or wherever space is available within the body 4 of
case 1.
Also located below the shroud 14 of body 4 in case 1 is a
conventional 12 volt lead acid battery 52. The battery 52 is
mechanically connected to the top of shroud 14 by means of an
L-shaped bracket 53. To promote an efficient and compact packaging
of the work station, the battery 52 rests upon the cellular
telephone 54 which is also disposed below shroud 14. The cellular
telephone 54 includes the usual power connector 56 (best shown in
FIG. 3) and a series of cooling vents 58. Cellular telephone 54
also includes an antenna connector 60 (also best shown in FIG. 3)
which communicates with the antenna (designated 40 in FIG. 1) at
the underside of the cover 2 by way of an antenna cable 62. A DC
input receptacle 64 is located in the side of body 4 (opposite the
side in which telephone receptacle 42 is located) to receive a 14.7
volt DC input signal from the battery charger (designated 16 in
FIG. 1) or any other suitable voltage source.
In FIG. 2, the computer and printer trays 44 and 46 are shown
arranged in spaced parallel alignment with one another at the rear
of the body 4 of carrying case 1 with the computer and printer
removed therefrom. Therefore, respective electrical connectors 27
and 28 of ribbon cables 25 and 26 are shown disconnected from the
computer. However, in FIGS. 3 and 4, the computer 100 and printer
200 are shown in place on computer and printer trays 44 and 46 with
ribbon cables 25 and 26 connected to said computer by means of
connectors 27 and 28.
The space conserving, vertically stacked alignments of the computer
100 and associated peripheral devices are now described while
referring concurrently to FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings. As is best
shown in FIG. 3, a first vertical stack of peripheral devices is
shown located at the front and to one side of carrying case 1. This
first stack of devices includes the cellular telephone 54 which is
positioned at the bottom of body 4. Seated upon cellular telephone
54 is the battery 52, and seated upon the battery 52 is a data
interface 66. The data interface 66 is connected between the
cellular telephone 54 and the modem (designated 76 in FIG. 4) to
permit facsimile and data transmission. Data interface 66 includes
a receptacle 68 for receiving the jack from the hand set
(designated 32 in FIG. 1).
One leg of L-shaped bracket 53 is attached to battery 52 by means
of complementary strips of hook and loop material 67 (commercially
known as Velcro), and the second leg of bracket 53 is mated to the
top of shroud 14 by means of a pair of screws 69 (only one of which
is shown) that extend through the data connector 66 and the shroud
14. Thus, the battery 52 is retained in place within shroud 14 by
bracket 53 and the screws 69 which penetrate said shroud. Moreover,
the second leg of bracket 53 supports the data interface 66 between
the shroud 14 and battery 52, whereby to preserve the stacked
alignment of cellular telephone 54, battery 52 and data interface
66, all wedged together within shroud 14. In this manner,
additional space will be advantageously available above the shroud
14 at which to store other peripheral devices, such as the battery
charger (not shown). It is to be understood that the order in which
the cellular telephone 54, battery 52 and data interface 66 are
stacked relative to one another need not be exactly as illustrated.
However, as a space conserving advantage of the present invention,
these peripheral devices are located within the shroud 14, since it
is not usually necessary that said devices be accessible for use in
or removal from the carrying case during normal operation of the
work station.
The computer 100 and printer 200 are spaced one above the other at
the rear of carrying case 1. The printer tray 46 is detachably
secured to the bottom of base 4 by means of opposing complementary
strips of hook and loop fastener material (e.g. Velcro) 70 attached
to the bottom of tray 46 and the top of base 4. For optimum storage
efficiency, the printer 200 rests upon the printer tray 46, and,
with the cover 2 of carrying case 1 in the closed position as shown
in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lid 202 of printer 200 is correspondingly
closed atop said printer. Printer 200 also includes the usual data
connector 204 at one side thereof to be interfaced with a data
cable (not shown) from the computer 100.
With the cover 2 of carrying case 1 closed, the computer tray 44 is
arranged in spaced parallel alignment above the printer tray 46.
The computer 100 is detachably connected to the computer tray 44 by
means of opposing complementary strips of hook and loop fastener
material (e.g. Velcro) 72 attached to the top of tray 44 and the
bottom of computer 100. For optimum storage efficiency, computer
100 rests upon the computer tray 44 with the lid 102 thereof closed
atop the computer keyboard. The computer tray 44 is interconnected
with the printer tray 46 by a pair of arms 74 (only one of which is
shown in FIGS. 3 and 4). However, as will be described in greater
detail when referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the computer tray 44 may be
advanced forwardly of printer tray 46 and out of body 4 when the
cover 2 of carrying case 1 is opened by rotating cover 2 upwardly
and away from said body.
FIG. 4 of the drawings shows the aforementioned vertical alignment
of computer 100 and printer 200 on the respective computer and
printer trays 44 and 46 at the rear of the body 4 of carrying case
1 with the cover 2 thereof closed. A conventional floppy disk drive
104 is located at one side of computer 100. Also shown in FIG. 4 is
the vertical alignment of the modem 76 (to permit facsimile and
data transmission) and the main circuit board 50 within the shroud
14 at the front and to one side of the body 4 of carrying case 1
opposite the side at which the cellular telephone 54, battery 52
and data interface 66 are stacked (best shown in FIG. 3). More
particularly, one leg of an L-shaped plate 78 is affixed (e.g.
glued) to a side of shroud 14. The second leg of plate 78 is
located within the shroud 14 and spaced above the bottom of body 4.
The modem 76 is detachably connected to the second leg of plate 78
by means of opposing strips of hook and loop fastener material
(e.g. Velcro) 80 attached to the top of plate 78 and bottom of
modem 76. Similarly, the main circuit board 50 is detachably
connected to the modem 76 by means of opposing strips of hook and
loop material (e.g. Velcro) 82 attached to the top of modem 76 and
the bottom of .circuit board 50.
The main circuit board. 50 and modem 76 are stacked one atop the
other at an out-of-the-way location within shroud 14 so as to
conserve additional space within the carrying case 1. However, the
switches 22 and light emitting diode 24 on main control panel 20
are readily available to the operator of the work station.
Likewise, the stacked alignment of circuit board 50 and modem 76
facilitates the electrical connection between switches 22 and
circuit board 50 as well as circuit board 50 and the modem 76 by
way of a conventional header connector 83, ribbon cable 85 and data
connector 84.
Referring concurrently to FIGS. 5-8 of the drawings, details
regarding the movement of computer tray 44 relative to printer tray
46 are explained for advancing the computer 100 carried on tray 44
out of carrying case 1. As ,earlier indicated, the computer tray 44
is connected to printer tray 46 by a pair of parallel aligned arms
74. Each of the arms 74 is pivotally connected at first ends there
to respective end brackets 86 which project from opposite sides of
the computer tray 44. Each of the arms 74 is also pivotally
connected at the opposite ends thereof to respective end brackets
88 which project from opposite sides of the printer tray 46. By way
of example, a rivet or pin may be used to pivotally connect the
arms 74 between brackets 86 and 88.
Accordingly, the computer tray 44 which is supported above the
printer tray 46 by means of arms-74 may be lifted vertically and
advanced horizontally relative to printer tray 46 when the cover 2
of carrying case is opened. That is to say, when the cover 2 of
case 1 is closed atop body 4, the computer tray 44 will be in
closely spaced, face-to-face alignment with printer tray 46 (best
shown in FIGS. 7 and 8). Thus, to maximize space conservation, the
computer 100 and printer 200 will be positioned one over the other
at the rear of case 1. However, and by virtue of the pivotal
interconnection of arms 74 between trays 44 and 46, when the cover
2 of carrying case 1 is opened relative to body 4, the computer
tray 44 may be first raised upwardly from and then moved forwardly
of printer tray 46 (best shown in FIGS. 5 and 6) to clear the
shroud 14 and facilitate access to the computer 100 and the printer
200 thereunder. More particularly, the arms 74 are adapted to
rotate at the end brackets 86 and 88 to permit the computer tray 44
to be simultaneously raised or lowered and moved forward or
backwards from retracted to advanced positions over the body 4 of
carrying case 1 so that the computer 100 will be correspondingly
moved into and out of vertical alignment with the printer 200.
FIG. 9 of the drawings shows a power distribution diagram and the
interconnection of the function switches 22 at the main control
panel 20 (of FIG. 1) between the power sources (i.e. battery
charger 16 and battery 52) and the computer 100 and peripherals.
With a main power switch 22-1 opened, power will be removed from
the peripherals. However, power will still be supplied from the
battery charger 16 to computer 100 via a DC-DC converter 90. That
is, a 12 volt DC signal is applied from battery charger 16 to an
input terminal of DC-DC converter 90, and an 18 volt DC signal is
applied from an output terminal of converter 90 to the computer
100. With the main power switch 22-1 and a computer control switch
22-2 simultaneously closed, power can also be supplied to the
computer 100 from lead acid battery 52.
With the main power control switch 22-1 closed, power will be
supplied to the modem 76 via a DC-DC converter 92. That is, a 12
volt DC signal is applied to an input terminal of DC-DC converter
92, and a 9 volt DC signal is applied from an output terminal of
converter 92 to modem 76. Likewise, with power control switch 22-1
closed, one or more of the cellular phone 54, printer 200 and
digital camera 30 may be energized by selectively closing
corresponding function switches 22-3, 22-4 and 22-5. An additional
switch (not shown in FIG. 9) is also provided on control panel 20
to selectively connect the serial port of computer 100 to either
the camera 30 or modem 76 to permit data to be transferred
therebetween.
By virtue of the disclosed invention, a compact portable work
station including a computer, printer and other peripherals may be
efficiently packaged within and controlled entirely from a carrying
case. Being that the computer and peripheral devices are
conventional, the details thereof have been omitted. Nevertheless,
and for purposes of illustration only, the computer 100 may be a
commercially available 20 MHz 386SX notebook personal computer with
a 40 MB hard drive. The digital camera 30 is available from Dycam
Corporation. The cellular telephone 54 is available from Motorola
Corporation. The printer 200 may be a Bubble Jet Printer available
from Canon Corporation. Moreover, the carrying case 1 is a hard
shell case available from Samsonite Corporation.
It will be apparent that while a preferred embodiment of the
invention has been shown and described, various modifications and
changes may be made without departing from the true spirit and
scope of the invention.
* * * * *